This invention relates in general to carrier racks attachable to a motor vehicle, and more particularly to carrier racks for transporting a heavy load, such as other smaller motorized vehicles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), and motorcycles, for example.
A variety of carrier racks have been devised for attachment to a vehicle for carrying articles (U.S. Pat. No. 1,367,654, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,015, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,503, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,289, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,702). These prior art racks are designed to provide added cargo space, and generally, are quite small and constructed of light weight material, therefore, not suitable for carrying heavy loads. Apart from the size and construction, the single point mounting method employed by the prior art racks (U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,015, U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,503 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,702) also makes them unsuitable for carrying a heavy load.
A single point engagement method has two distinct disadvantages. First, the weight of the load is concentrated at one location of the hitch which may cause damage to the hitch assembly, the carrier rack and/or the vehicle. Secondly, there is a tendency for the racks to flex from side to side during turns, when loading, and in high cross wind conditions which causes unstable driving conditions. These disadvantages are more evident when the load is heavy.
Some prior art carrier racks attempt to overcome the above disadvantages with designs which engage the hauling vehicle at multiple locations. U.S. Pat. No. 1,367,654 to Borden disclosed a carrier rack mount via inverted U-shaped bolts to the rear axle of the hauling vehicle at two spaced apart positions. In addition, the carrier is further braced to the upper portion of the vehicle. Such attachment to the rear axle may not be feasible for modem automobiles and the attachment method is also undesirable because the carrier rack cannot be interchangeably mounted to other hauling vehicles. A carrier rack designed for attachment to a conventional hitch would be more desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,289 to Ostor disclosed a carrier rack which employs three mounting bars for attachment to a conventional hitch assembly. The center bar is received into the conventional hitch receiver opening and the other two side mounting bars are bolted to the hitch assembly. This attachment method achieves the goal of lessening the side to side movement of the carrier rack during transit, but it is inconvenient to use. For attachment and removal of the rack, an operator has to crawl under the hauling vehicle to unscrew the bolts. In addition, Oster""s design unnecessarily weakens the hitch assembly by creating apertures in the hitch assembly to receive the attachment bolts. Furthermore, Oster""s rack is not structured to carry a heavy load.
Thus, there is a need for a carrier rack which can be securely and removably mounted to a conventional hitch assembly and which permits easy loading, unloading and transporting of a heavy load. This invention addresses that need.
The present invention provides a carrier rack for the transportation of heavy loads, such as other motorized vehicles, and has a carrying capacity of approximately 500 lbs., for example.
To attain this, a preferred embodiment of the present invention generally comprises a hauling vehicle equipped with a conventional receiving style hitch assembly having a tubular cross member extended along the width of the hauling vehicle and attached to the frame thereof. The tubular cross member includes opposing ends and a centrally located extension tube each having an opening for receiving the mounting hardware of the carrier rack. The carrier rack further comprises a sturdily constructed carrying platform, ramp means for loading the carrying platform, and retractable casters for supporting the carrier rack when not mounted on a hauling vehicle. In addition, the carrier rack preferably has one or more rear safety lights which are communicatively connected to the electrical system of the vehicle via a wiring harness. For the driver to easily locate the rear of the carrier rack via a rear view mirror, a removable tailgate may also be installed.
It is a principal object herein to provide a carrier rack capable of hauling a heavy load, such as other motorized vehicles.
It is another object herein to provide a carrier rack particularly adapted to be securely and removably mounted onto a conventional hitch assembly at three separate locations for better distributing the weight of the load and reducing the side to side movement of the rack during transit; and to achieve the above goals without modification to the hitch assembly.
It is also another object herein to provide a carrier rack that provides easy access to the carrying platform.
It is a further object herein to provide a carrier rack which is self supporting when not engaged to a vehicle.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention herein will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.